When John walks into his local neighborhood bank on a Saturday morning, he knows that he’s going to get a friendly experience. A chat with the manager, Solomon, who is out on the floor making sure every customer is taken care of quickly and efficiently, and then another with Ruth, the cashier. It’s always good to see a friendly face.

But banking – just like every other sector nowadays – is going increasingly digital. While this is wonderful and convenient for customers, some (like John) are still looking for that local neighborhood experience. The good news is that certain digital channels can strike a perfect balance between the two, such as video chat. In fact, with the multi-channel benefits of a virtual call center solution, banks today can offer even better face-to-face service than a single branch can.

For example, one national bank revealed back in April that it was launching video conferencing right from its ATM. Meanwhile, another organization, which offers round-the-clock service, found that 60 percent of its video chat sessions were taking place during off hours, which offered customers more banking flexibility than ever before. Some financial institutions are even offering both, such as providing online applications coupled with an in-person meeting.

If video chat can improve banking that well, imagine what it can do for online investing, real estate, insurance, auto financing and every other type of financial service. With an advanced, multi-channel virtual call center solution, you can build a dedicated team of video chat agents who become experts in certain product lines and give customers that familiar “neighborhood” feeling by building a one-to-one relationship.

Even better, with the multi-channel capabilities that a virtual call center solution brings to the table, your customers can video chat with you through their smartphone, tablet or any laptop or computer.

Bank branches may be going away, but your call center is not. Take advantage of this new market-making opportunity with a virtual call center solution.